The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-04
BUFFALO BILLS EARLY DAYS.
How He Whipped an English Bully in
the Red-Hot Days.
From the KansGs en- JoMrNal.

From the KaRsGs City Journal
The Hon. William f. Cody, whose ex-
hibition has recently been visited by Her
Majesty the Empress of India, was a
protege of the famous border hero, Wild
Bill, with whom he hunted and secuted,
and who made him first deputy when hold
ing the responsible and dangerous position
of CITY Marshal of Abilene, Kan. Buffalo
Bill had achieved a reputation ON the plains
before Nei BuBtfine brought him, i'll his
Wild West dramas, prominently before the
people of the East as typical frontiersman.
A little before this time he figured in an
exciting pugilistic encounter in Kansas City.
He was young man, then, as now, superbly
developed physically, of undaunted courage,
renowned for his exploits in the killing of
buffalo and as government scout in times
of Indian troubles, and doing at leisure
intervals little work, conspicuous for its
conscientious attention to details, i'll tie
way of painting frontier towns in hues OF
scarlet and vermilion.
Kansas City was at that time the rendez-
vous of the buffalo hunters and general out
fitting point for expeditions over the
plains 1t was an ungainly, overgrown
settlement strung along the steamboat
wharves at the foot of the bluffs on the
Missouri river, opposite the mouth of the
Kaw, but giving even then some promise of
its subsequent marvellous growth. 1t was
in the red-hot stage of local development,
and had a population fearful and wonderful
to contemplate Here were gathered ex-
bushwhackers of the war just finished,
Union and Confederate, with animosities
yet unhealed, buffalo hunters and trappers
from the plains and mountains, Mexican
freighteFs' from over the Santa iFe trail,
rotlstab3uts from the steamboat landings,
and gamblers from everywhere, who
mingled, caroused and fought on the drop
of the hat while, attracted like camp-follow-
ers to the field of carnage, painted, showily-
dressed women practiced their allurements
in numerous dance halls and lent a gaudy
adornment to the muddy streets. Almost
every man carried weapons, and was prompt
to use them on occasions, with, and often
without, provocation.
Here in this frontier paradise appeared
an athletic and bumptious Englshman,
who soon made himself objectionable to the
community by his fondness for fist-fghting.
He possessed both strength and science, and
courted encounters at fisticutfs, from which
he invariably came out victorious He had
'ione up SUCCESSFULLY every man who
could be found to meet him, from those who
made pretensions to ability under the rules
of the prize-ring to the unpromising boat
men, half horse, half alligator, who fought
viciously, rough and tumble He was
bullying Ol ueuledIlUt, dllI
had become source of chronic eXaspera-
ton to the fighting population of Kansas
City. He went ostentatiously without
weapons, and there existed in the minds of
many prejudice against shooting an I'M
armed man, which interfered with the
adoption of the ordinary methods of getting
rid of an obnoxious party in the community.
A popular sentiment had arisen, however,
and was rapidly extending, favorable to
lie iy,at mi inf
it was concluded, after some discussion, to
await the coming of Buffalo Bill who was
daily expected to arrive from the plains,
and to then contrive that hostile meeting
should occur between them.
In course of time Buffalo Bill appeared in
town, and as soon as possible after his arrival
a meeting was effected between him and the
Englishman in a saloon, a quarrel easily
started and fight arranged. A back room
of the saloon was the arena, and both men
set to business with promptness and energy.
For the first fifteen minutes Buffalo Bill,
who was as 1.-the and quick as an Indian,
fought on the defensive, and did little but
dodge and parry the blows of his antagonist,
who followed him about the room, hitting
heavily, but generally ineffectively, and
who soon got warm and began to lose wind
and temper. Then Buffalo Bill, who, though
somewhat punished, had kept his GOODNESS
and temper, assumed the aggressive
Avoiding terrific blow at his face, he
sprung with the movement of a panther
under the Englishman's guard and caught
him with both hands by the throat in a
grip like steel. For few moments the
Englishman rained short arm blows on him
and struggled to break his hold, but his
efforts could not loose the grasp on his
windpipe, and presently he grew black in
the face and fell to the floor. Buffalo Bill
held his grip until his opponent was motion
less and apparently dead, and then relrased
him and walked away, bearing some marks
of punishment, but victorious. 1t took a
long time to bring the Englishman to, and
for while the task seemed hopeless He
was shaken and rolled, deluged with ice
water, and strong haltshorn was held to
his nose: but under these provacatives he
lay like log. 1t seemed he was gone be-
You'd recall, but under the most strenuous
efforts he revived, and was eventually, as
far as physical injuries went, all right.
The encounter, however, broke the reign of
terror in Kansas City, and was one Of the
occurrences that went to establish the
prestige of Buffalo Bill.